Aloy is a wonderful hero to play as – she's courageous, determined, independent, and compassionate. She's also an underdog who often finds herself lost. She experiences loss, defeat, and has a raw vulnerability to her. The truth behind the concept of a ”strong female character" is that it's not about creating a female character that always smiles in the face of adversity – it's about creating one that has both virtues and flaws, strengths and weaknesses, and motivations and goals of her own. She's neither a damsel in distress nor an unrealistically invincible warrior – she's Aloy, who is multi-faceted and beautifully human.
While she's fierce both on and off the battlefield, her story of figuring out who she is and where she belongs is incredibly empowering. Aloy is the spearhead of this moving story, and despite all the numerous wonderful things it has going for it, Horizon Zero Dawn is the powerful experience that it is because of her. The game's final moments feel like a perfect culmination of all the things Aloy learns and experiences through her emotional and heartwarming journey, and few endings I have played through have felt so right.
I took approximately thirty-five hours to complete Horizon Zero Dawn's main story, but the first thing I did after I finished was dive right back in. There were still exciting quests to do, gorgeous places to discover, and fascinating characters to meet. I'm still falling in love with this world and all the magnificent things it has to offer. Guerrilla Games has created something truly impressive and memorable with their first dive into the genre, and I have only endless excitement for all that's in store for the future of this universe.
